


Against Me Morals

by Wandering_Letters



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 06:05:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13652958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wandering_Letters/pseuds/Wandering_Letters
Summary: Mei decides to return to Eco-Point Antarctica to reestablish the base and continue gathering data after recovering from the trauma of losing her team. Jamison Fawkes, otherwise known as Junkrat also decides to head to Antarctica for reasons of his own.Upon arriving, both their agendas result in them bumping into each other. What will come of it? Especially when the most intense snowstorm in recorded history happens to be around the corner?Gift Fic.





	1. Prologue: Into The Blizzard

**Prologue- Into The Blizzard  
**

**~ o ~**

**This story is being written as a gift for Andorah, for her amazing art as well as being such an good friend to me.**

**She chose the pairing to be MeiHem, so that's exactly what she's going to get!**

**Hope you guys enjoy this one!**

**~ o ~**

  **Late Afternoon- Watchpoint Gibraltar**

 

"Are you sure about this Mei?"  
"Positive." she replied.

Winston shook his head and sighed softly.

"I know the bad memories you have of that place. I can't ask you to-"  
"I want to go back there Winston. Eco-Point Antarctica can't go to waste after all the effort Overwatch went through to establish it!"

The scientist nodded for a moment before looking to the large screen in front of him.

"Athena. What are conditions like at that base right now?"  
_"Gathering data..."_

The screen buffered for several moments before revealing real time images of the base.

_"Eco-Point Antarctica currently has a temperature of - 93 degrees Celsius. Most of the base has been encased in some layer of ice due to the length of time it has not been maintained. Scans indicate that most of the equipment however is still intact, which means that only power batteries would be required to restore full functionality to the location."_

Winston bit his lower lip.

"-93 degrees... it's **never** been that cold." he gasped.  
"I can handle it. All I need to do is get the base up and running. If you send me there with some helper bots, I'm sure I can restore full functionality in a couple of weeks." said Mei.

The scientist sighed before looking back at the screen.

"Athena. How many bots do we have on hand to assist?" he asked.  
_"Two dozen repair and maintenance bots are available. Calculations and analysis indicate that full functionality will require only ten of them to run the base at peak efficiency."_

Mei turned to her faithful friend Snowball before smiling and hugging him.

"We won't be alone this time." she said.

The little robot's LED eyes changed to that of delight as he beeped several times to indicate that he was more than willing to go through with the plan. Winston shook his head before nodding at Mei.

"I'll allow the bots to come with you, but you need to be careful. Things have gotten significantly worse since your last visit." he explained.  
"I know Winston. I'll be careful. You know I will."

The gorilla couldn't help but smile at her determination as he turned back to the screen.

"Athena. Prepare a transport, destination: Eco-Point Antarctica."  
_"Preparations underway. Vessel will be ready to leave by nightfall."_

Winston turned back to Mei before directing her to another room.

"Now then. Before you decide to head straight into that blizzard, how about some coffee and sandwiches?"  
"Peanut butter and jelly?" replied Mei.

Winston chuckled loudly.

"Oh you know me too well."

**~ o ~**

**Meanwhile- Somewhere In The Australian Outback**

"Hey Hog, you've been quiet today. Somethin' the matta?"

The large man shook his head as they continued their return to their "headquarters", which was really a run down shack.

"Come on Hog. You know you can tell me anythin'. We're mates after all."

The large man replied with a dismissing grunt as he turned his head away from his charge. Junkrat sighed audibly as they finally reached the shack.

"Didn't get much done today, but we did manage to get enough gold to sell to keep us going for a few months." he said.

They entered the shack before sitting down in their makeshift living room, Junkrat taking the entirety of the couch for himself while Roadhog managed to squeeze himself in a lounge chair.

"What's next on the hit list then?"

The master of mayhem comically pulled a slip of paper from seemingly nowhere before unwinding it, causing the paper to extend all the way to the ground with extra slack.

"We just hit that gold mine near Melbourne. So there's nothing left in Australia... where do we go next?"  
"Don't think we can go anywhere."

Junkrat looked up to see that Roadhog was now looking at him. Even though his mask completely covered his face, he was more than able to tell that there was something wrong.

"Whaddya mean Hog?" he asked.  
"You know that guy we ran into last week? The one with the freeze ray and goggles?" he replied.

Junkrat put a hand to his chin before scratching it for a few moments. After a few seconds, he immediately raised his finger and nodded.

"You mean that bloke who tried to freeze us and turn us in to The Queen? What about him?"

Roadhog sighed audibly before shaking his head.

"When he froze you and I took him on, he stole..."

Junkrat immediately jumped to his feet, his face now very serious instead of its usual indifference.

"What'd he take Hog? Somethin' important to ya?"  
"He took... my..."

The large man turned away and sighed.

"My Pachimari."

Junkrat gasped loudly.

"You kiddin' me? That fiend!"

Roadhog nodded.

"But you have a lot of those dontcha Hog?"  
"This one's different... special edition. There's only three of them in the world."

Junkrat's eyes widened.

"You mean... the **silver crowned** Pachimari?! With the high definition audio and holographic video projector for the commercial?!" he asked.

Roadhog nodded with another deep sigh.

"Well that settles it! That's the next stop! That bloke's gonna pay for taking anything from mi best mate. Where is he?"

Roadhog shook his head.

"I asked some old friends about him and they said... he's south. Way south."  
"How south are we talkin' 'ere?"  
"Antarctica."

Junkrat almost yelped in astonishment as he flinched and shook his head.

"What the heck's that bloke doing all the way down there?! Ain't it sub-zero in those parts?"  
"Makes sense since he runs around freezing people with that ray of his."

Junkrat sighed deeply before looking down at the ground.

"It means that much to you Hog?" he asked.  
"That's a place that's not realistic for guys like us to get to. I also don't do so well in cold places, despite my size."

Junkrat nodded, remembering how difficult it was for the large man to even handle Australian winters, let alone an iceberg like Antarctica. He himself didn't particularly like the cold, though he wasn't in the least bothered by it. In fact, he on more than one occasion went  **swimming** in cold climates and didn't even feel fazed.

"Alright Hog. Take care of our place while I'm gone."

The large man gasped audibly through his mask before shaking his head.

"Are you insane? I'm not letting you-"  
"The last thing I need is you to get sick or die out in that grade of cold. I'm not bothered by it and I'm not gonna let some third rate super villain wannabe take something that means a lot to me best mate." he replied. 

Junkrat smiled confidently before pointing to his face.

"I'll get it back for ya Hog. Don't you worry none. I'll be back before you know it."

The large man sighed, but immediately put a hand on his charge's shoulder.

"You going to be alright without me?" he asked.  
"I'll think of somethin'. Now then... I gotta figure out how I'm gonna get over there."

He paced around for a few moments until he cracked a devious smile.

"Oh... I know juuust the bloke to get me there."

 


	2. Chapter One: Mutual Interest

**Chapter One: Mutual Interest**

**~ o ~**

_Who are you?_  
  
No one of consequence  
  
I must know  
  
Get used to disappointment

\- William Goldman

**~ o ~**

**The Next Day- Just Outside Ecopoint Antarctica**

"We made it Snowball!"

The little robot started to circle me, clearly as excited as I was.

"Alright. Activate the bots Snowball, I'm gonna see if I can get the door open." I said.

He floated into the air before nodding and making his way back to the transport we arrived in. I pressed forward, entering the compound as I began to recall all of my memories here. It was a large base, and with adequate power, it made the ordinarily inhospitable conditions of the place... more than tolerable.

In fact, I may even go as far as to say it would be comfortable. I then came upon the large blast door, that would lead into the heart of the base. After examining the keypad, I realized that it was completely frozen over. I removed a scanner from my bag and held it over the keypad. I smiled; the circuitry was still intact. It just needed a jolt of power and the keys to be defrosted to allow them to be pressed. I removed a small blowtorch from my bag and held it near the keypad before holding the button down. The small, but intense flame made short work of the ice and once I was satisfied, I placed it down before using a screwdriver to unscrew the panel. I then fiddled around with the exposed wires until I managed to rig it to a small battery from my coat pocket. Once I was sure everything was ready, I completed the circuit by connecting the two lead wires. Much to my delight, the keypad's LED screen came to life. After typing in the code, the blast doors began to move, but stopped dead in its tracks.

I stepped away to examine it, only to realize that it was frozen so deeply, the ice was preventing it from opening. I sighed deeply.

"I didn't come equipped to deal with this kind of thing..."

I turned back to see that Snowball had just arrived with the helper bots in tow. I shook my head.

"There's nothing that we brought that'll pack enough punch to get through that ice." I said.

Snowball's antenna drooped but I shook my head, remembering every detail of this place as well as some of the areas outside of it.

"There should be an old military base a few miles from here. I'm going to go see if there's any ordnance we can use to get inside." I said.

Snowball immediately began to shake his head, knowing that it would be dangerous for me to go alone considering that the temperature was still falling. However, I was confident in my skills and now that I had learned so much about dealing with the climate, I knew that I could do it.

"I want you to stay here with the helper bots. Watch over them and the transport. Once I get back, we're getting into that base no matter what." I said.

He shook his head, instead burying himself in my backpack.

"You... want to come with me and leave the bots here?" I asked.

I felt him nod within the bag and I laughed softly. I then looked to my wrist before pressing the button on my communicator.

"Athena. Can you hear me?"  
_"Yes Miss Zhou. How may I be of assistance?"_  
"Can the helper bots get inside of the base in any way?"  
_"Scanning for potential entrances..."_

It took a few seconds, but she eventually responded.

_"There is a service tunnel entrance to the east of the base, but it is only small enough for them to enter in compact mode. There are no other entrances which will allow you yourself to enter."  
_ "Can you scan the old military base? Check if there's anything we can use?"  
_"I am sorry Miss Zhou. The base is out of range of my scanners. The oncoming snowstorm is making it difficult for me to acquire readings."  
_ "Snowstorm?"  
_"There is an intense system on its way to this location, far more severe than anything else recorded previously."_

I gasped audibly as I turned to Snowball.

"We'd better get to that base and fast. Athena, guide the bots inside and let them get started on the base." I said.  
_"Right away Miss Zhou."_

After ensuring that I had all of the gear I would need, I turned to the transport.

"...I hope this doesn't turn out like the last trip...I don't want to get stuck here with no hope of survival."

**~ o ~**

**Two Hours Later- Antarctica**

_"Alright. Made it to this giant iceberg... now if I were a wannabe super villain, where would I hide?"_

I shook my head, feeling irritated at the cold temperature. Then again, I wasn't wearing a lot of layers to keep me warm because despite my dislike for the cold, I was somehow always great at tolerating it. Heck, just a few years ago, I went swimming in me mate's pool at the end of December. Those were some fun times...

But Hog made me put on this stupid outfit, saying that he doesn't want me to come back an icicle. I guess I can humor him since this place is a heck of a lot colder than any other place I've been to. And unlike those other times, this kind of cold can easily do me in. I managed to stuff my hair into a beanie and I managed to fill enough of a coat to allow it to stay on my back, but this wasn't at all comfortable. It'd be so much easier to just go with my usual outfit, but then again... I'm on the most wanted lists of many places and who knows, a bounty hunter could be here and I won't have Hog to back me up.

Ah what am I doing. Rambling again... gotta get this done and get back home to Hog; we got heists to plan! Not to mention the poor guy probably misses that little doll so much, it's keeping him up at night.

Now that I thought about it, asking me mate Yarkov for a ride here was probably a bad idea considering that I didn't really have a plan of finding this bloke bar the fact that I figured out where every building in this place is.

It'd be far too cold for even someone like him to live in a cave or somethin' and with only a few buildings around, it shouldn't be too much of a stretch to think that he was hiding in one of em. I continued walking forward and soon, I caught sight of one of the buildings.

_"Hmm... looks like some old army base or somethin'. Maybe I can find somethin' to eat in there; I'm starvin'!"_

I made my way as quickly as I could down to the building, only to notice that the sky was getting darker and for some reason, the wind was picking up.

_"Oh boy... looks like some kind of blizzard's comin' in. Better get inside and wait it out. Even though I can handle the cold right now, there's no way even **I** could handle one of them storms."_

I sped up my pace, feeling annoyed that I only had access to one of my legs thanks to my accident beforehand. Guess I should've thought about the possibility of having to walk through very deep snow. It took about fifteen minutes, but I finally made it to the door of the building. However, I found that... it was already open.

_"Is this bloke in there? Maybe I can get this done quickly and get back after all then eh?"_

I readied my grenade launcher as I pushed the door open, only to see that there wasn't a bloke... but a lass?

She didn't appear to have noticed me as she was rummaging through some boxes. At her feet were what looked like empty guns and ammo clips, along with several empty explosive canisters. Whatever she was here for, she was certainly looking to find something to hurt someone. I couldn't see her face because she was completely covered from head to toe in winterwear... though I could certainly make out the shape of her...

_"That's a **mighty** **fiiine** arse she's got there!"_

I snickered softly to myself before starting to look around the building. It definitely was an old abandoned base, considering how many weapons were lying around. I don't imagine many of them working very well considering how bloody cold it is here, but then again, any weapon can be used if enough TLC's given to it. I took a step forward but much to my surprise, a robot sprung to life and started emitting some kind of siren. I barely even got to look up before I noticed the woman had turned around. I immediately dodged to the right, awkwardly landing on my arse as I shot a look at the woman. In the next moment, I looked past me to see that an icicle had embedded itself in the metal cabinet behind me. Considering that it passed right through the metal, it would've certainly made my head look like cheese.

"Oi! Not here to cause any trouble!" I shouted while raising my hands.  
"Then why do you have a grenade launcher in your hand?" she fired back.

Now noticing that I still had my weapon primed, I immediately dropped it on the ground before looking back at her.

"I'm not here to cause ya any trouble missy, I'm just lookin' for someone." I said.

She looked at me as if I were insane.

"You came all the way to Antarctica with no significant amount of winterwear or anything... and you expect me to believe that you're just simply **looking for someone**?" she asked.  
"That's right! I'm a man of me word after all." I replied.

I hoped that my attempt at humor would soften her death glare and much to my relief, she lowered her weapon slightly. However, she appeared to be examining me... as if she were trying to identify me.

"Wait a moment... you look familiar. Where have I seen you before?"

_"Oh blimey! If she realizes that I'm a criminal, she'll be even less inclined to believe me... gotta think fast."_

"Don't think we've met, the name's James!" I said.

She seemed a bit more at ease and her gaze softening indicated that she was beginning to believe me. She then nodded before fully lowering her weapon.

"My name is Mei-Ling, but you can call me Mei." she replied.  
"That's a right cute name if I do say so meself." I replied with a smile.

Thankfully, she laughed softly at my comment before nodding.

"You're a funny one James." she said.

She then lowered her mask and raised her goggles, to reveal...

_"Well then... **she's** a beauty."_

She certainly lived up to her name with her youthful face that for some reason, was lit up with joy. Just looking at her, I could tell that she was one of those determined types, someone who would get the job done in whatever way she could. That being said, the fact that she was all the way out here was puzzling. What was a girl as young as her doing in a place like this?

"Nice smile you got there Mei." I said with a playful wink.

She responded by smiling brightly at me.

"Thank you... so you said you were looking for someone? How do you know they're out here?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"Got a tip from a friend o mine. He took something very important to me best mate and I'm here to get it back." I explained.

She looked at me as if in disbelief.

"You came all the way out here just to  **retrieve**  something?" she gasped.  
"You got that right. No one messes with me best mate and gets away with it. Once I get it, I'll be on my merry way." 

She nodded before looking at my grenade launcher.

"Does that thing work?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow before chuckling.

"Made it meself. This thing packs a heck of a punch that's for sure!" I replied proudly.  
"Then perhaps we could help each other?" she said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You said you're looking for someone around here... I'm trying to get inside of an old Overwatch base nearby but I can't break the ice that holds the blast doors together. If you could blow off enough of the ice with your launcher, we could get inside." she said.

I felt my heart skip a beat upon hearing the name Overwatch. Does this mean that she's a former agent? If she is... that means that it's likely that the base has records of criminals or at least, some kind of recognition gizmo or something. Then again, all I need from her is a scan to find out exactly where this bloke is and then I won't need her anymore. At the very least, she could maybe find something for me to eat... because I don't know how much longer I can stand this gnawing in me stomach.  
  
"What's in it for me?" I asked.

She smiled.

"The base has scanners that can easily cover all of Antarctica. I could help you find the person you're looking for."

I smiled at her, now quite liking her suggestion.

"So what do you say? Will you help me?" she asked.

I laughed softly before nodding.

"I'd be happy to oblige sweetheart but just one question..."

As if on cue, I felt my stomach rumble loudly as I laughed nervously.

"You wouldn't happen to have a bite to eat around here would ya?"

She responded by laughing softly before nodding.

"Come with me to the transport, there's food there." she explained.

 


	3. Chapter Two: Equivalent Exchange

**Chapter Two: Equivalent Exchange**

**~ o ~**

_"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!"_

\- Robert A. Heinlein,  _The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress_

**~ o ~**

 

**Two Hours Later- Just Outside Eco-Point Antarctica**

"Is it really that hard to believe?" said James.  
"Well yes!" I replied.  
"Come on darlin'! Gimme a little faith, I totally know what I'm doin' ere."

I rolled my eyes before sighing.

"Fine, I'll take your word for it... but please don't damage anything important." I replied.

He smiled and clasped his hands together before rubbing them vigorously.

"This IED should pack enough punch to break the ice right down the center. That's a good six inches of solid ice to get through though, so it might take another one of these."

He turned to me before motioning me to step back.

"It's got a heck of a blast to it sweetheart so you might wanna take cover." he warned.

I did as he asked, ducking behind the transport as he stepped forward to plant the explosive he just managed to rig together.

After we ate lunch together, he took measurements of the blast door and used a hammer and chisel to gauge how thick the ice covering it was. He went as far as to request the exact dimensions of the door and even the type of metal it was made out of, which I had Athena tell him. He then proceeded to reach into his rather large backpack before pulling out a lot of grenades. He then fastened them to a belt and rigged it all to explode at the same time.

During the hour we spent heating up our food and eating it, I learned a great deal about him.

From what I could understand, he was some kind of inventor that hailed from Australia. It would explain how he was able to make that grenade launcher of his, as well as his almost obsessive knowledge of explosives. He also explained that the reason he has a prosthetic leg is because he lost one of them during an accident with one of his inventions. I felt sorry for him at first, but he was so confident, I couldn't help but picture that he just wouldn't be the same if he still had his leg.

He explained the reason he came all the way to Antarctica is because someone stole something important to his closest friend. The fact that he was willing to come all the way down to Antarctica, despite how inhospitable the conditions were here... it meant that he is more than willing to go beyond the call of duty for a friend. From what I could tell, he was a genuine person. He always spoke his mind... much to my chagrin once or twice.

He was also quite blunt, not pulling any punches when it came to his opinions on everything. I contemplated asking him about his life back in Australia and if he had anyone to return to, but I figured it could wait until we get inside the base, where we aren't freezing to death.

"Alright! Get ready for a shock!"

He took a couple of steps back before pressing the detonator in his hands. Within a few moments, a massive explosion lit up the area and a deafening wave of hot wind blew me a little off balance. He started to cheer for some reason I couldn't understand. Maybe this guy was some kind of pyromaniac... or he just really enjoyed watching his plans come together. Once the smoke cleared, I saw that a great chunk of the ice had been completely blown out and just about the entirety of the doorframe was cracked. It may not be fully loosened, but it certainly looked like it took a big hit and it was at least half as durable.

"Alright! That ice should be soft enough for the doors to open!" he shouted.  
"Got it. Try the doors now Athena."  
_"Opening blast doors."_

Loud hums filled the air and I noticed the ice beginning to crack more and more as the doors tried their hardest to move. Much to my surprise however, the ice continued to crack and it wasn't long before it started to break apart and fall to the ground. The doors actually began to open and soon, it was wide enough for me to get inside. I looked at James in complete astonishment, only for him to give me a confident wink and raise his right thumb.

"Told ya I knew what I was doin'!"

I shook my head and gave him a bright smile.

"Well, by now the helper bots should've gotten the base up and running, we just need to get the power batteries inside to get everything started." I explained.  
"Batteries you say?" he asked.

I turned back to the transport and stepped inside to retrieve a large bag, filled to the brim with compact power cells. Each of these cells were about as powerful as the ones that kept my pod going for all those years I was stuck inside. With these new ones, we wouldn't have to worry about losing power for a  **very** long time.

"I know that what we ate wasn't particularly filling... since it was just a couple of sandwiches, but the food inside the base is very well preserved thanks to the cold. We can probably make something more filling inside." I explained.  
"That'd be lovely. Also gives ya time to help me find me tar--- I mean man!"

I didn't pay much attention to what he was saying as my attention was focused on the inside of the base. It had been a full year since I'd been back here... and some of the memories began to come back. James appeared to have noticed my gaze as he approached me.

"You alright sweetheart?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"...Just some bad memories of this place." I replied.

**~ o ~**

**One Hour Later- Inside Eco-Point Antarctica**

"I see. So that's what's got you all in a bind eh?" asked Junkrat.

Mei nodded slowly, still feeling the sting of loss from looking at the pods of her team.

"That's a tough deal darlin' and I'm real sorry you had to go through that. But you know the old saying, what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger!"

The scientist couldn't believe his optimism and his uncanny ability to lighten any mood, no matter how gloomy it is. She offered him a smile before handing him a bowl of soup. He raised his eyebrow.

"What's this exactly?" he asked.  
"Homemade ramen noodles. It's what I've spent the last forty minutes putting together." she replied.

He smiled and shrugged.

"Not entirely sure what  _ramen_ is, but it definitely smells great." he replied.  
"Taste it. It's also great for keeping yourself warm." she said.

Junkrat slowly brought his mouth to the edge of the bowl, only for Mei to stop him by flicking his forehead.

"That's not how you eat ramen James! Use these!"

She handed him a pair of chopsticks, only for him to give her the most confused look he had ever given anyone.

"How the heck am I supposed to use these to eat?" he asked.  
"Watch what I do."

He observed her closely as she used her own chopsticks to pick up some of the noodles from her bowl. He tried to imitate her, only for him to fail miserably at even picking up the noodles, let alone get them into his mouth.

"It'd be easier for me with a fork... sure you ain't got one lyin' around?" he asked.

Mei shook her head, causing him to sigh deeply.

"Wasn't exposed to this side of the culinary spectrum sadly, so I got no idea what I'm doin'." he explained.

Seeing his face frown and soften made Mei blush, because even though they just met, she couldn't deny that he was cute. He seemed like a bit of a ruffian, but considering that he went through the trouble of getting her inside the base, she bit her lip before sighing softly.

"Alright James... I'm going to do you a favor."

He raised an eyebrow at her only for her to look at him with a deep blush on her face.

"...I'll feed it to you. Since we don't have any forks on hand... and I don't exactly want to waste the food." she explained.

Junkrat felt himself begin to blush as well, though nowhere near as much as she was. He shook the feelings off before nodding and holding still.

"Appreciate the hospitality darlin'."

Mei slowly reached for the noodles with her chopsticks before scooting in front of her new friend. After taking a deep breath in an effort to calm herself, she looked up at him before offering the noodles. He obliged, opening his mouth as she shoveled some of the noodles inside. He smiled upon tasting the flavors and he couldn't help himself from getting a little giddy.

"Sweetheart if you cook like this all the time, could I hire you as me personal chef?" he asked.

Mei felt her blush deep but she couldn't help but laugh loudly at his compliment.

"Thank you. My mother taught me how to make this." she explained.  
"Your mum's a magician in the kitchen, that's for sure." he replied.

She continued to feed him the noodles as they continued their conversation.

During the next hour, Mei learned a great deal about the man she knew as James. He explained where he came from, the kind of life he lived growing up and his aspiration to someday become a world renowned inventor. He even started to talk about his life in Australia, going so far as to talk vaguely about his best friend, who he called Markus. From what she could gather from the way he was talking about Markus, they were really close, like brothers.

"So he takes care of you?" she asked.  
"Not exactly. Just watches me back whenever I need an eye. We've been through a lot together and he's the whole reason I came here." he explained.

She nodded slowly and smiled.

"Well, he's lucky to have a friend like you; I can't say that I know anyone else that would make a trip to this place just to get something that was taken from them." she said.  
"Even though I tend to be a bit self-centered, I don't let anyone mess with me mates. Messin' with them is like messin' with me!"

The confidence in his voice returned as Mei found herself smiling at him.

"You're really something special James." she said.

Junkrat looked back at her before smiling brightly.

"You're quite a gem yourself Ling." he replied.

She blushed profusely upon hearing his new nickname for her.

"You saved me from starving to death out there and you even offered to help me find the bloke that brought me here in the first place. I can't thank ya enough for all this." he continued.

She hid her eyes from his view before nodding.

"...Happy to help wherever I can." she replied.  
"If I find this bloke fast enough, whaddya say I treat you to something special?" he asked.

She looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked.  
"Ever had yourself some boba tea?" he replied.

Mei shook her head, feeling confused at what he was talking about.

"I've had regular tea... but I've never heard of boba before."

Junkrat looked at her as if she were insane.

"You're pulling me leg right? You've  **never** had boba tea in your life?!" he gasped.

She shook her head, causing him to slap his forehead and sigh in what sounded like genuine disappointment.

"That's a whole world you need to experience Ling. Tell you what, once I get Markus's stuff back, I'll come back and make ya some. Whaddya say?" he offered.  
"...Is it really that good?" she replied.

Junkrat gave her a wide eyed stare and nodded vigorously.

"Once you've had a taste, your entire world will change. _**Trust me**_." 

Mei nodded and laughed softly at his enthusiasm.

"Alright. I'll give it a try!"  
"It's a date then yeah?"

She immediately lit up like a christmas light, causing her to turn away from him. She however, nodded slowly in response to his question.

"Alright! With that settled, I'd like to get this show on the road. Your AI friend found any sign of him yet?" he asked.

Mei looked up at the ceiling.

"Athena? Any luck?" she asked.

_"Scanners indicate a significant heat source 1.5 miles northwest of this location. It is the only significant heat source present within the 300 mile habitable landmass we are currently on."_

Junkrat clapped his hands.

"Sounds like my guy. That's me cue then eh?"

He got to his feet before picking up his backpack.

"I'll be back before you know it. While I'm gone, go ahead and have those bots of yours prep the kitchen. When I come back, we're having some boba!" he cheered.

Mei couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm as she nodded.

"Best of luck James. I hope you find what you're looking for."  
"Likewise darlin'. Likewise."

Before he turned to leave however, he gave Mei one last look.

"Hey Ling... question for ya. This one's a bit personal though... you up for it?" he asked.

Even though she was skeptical, after having heard most of his life story, she saw no reason to refuse his request.

"Sure. What is it?" she asked.  
"...If there was a secret that you really wanted to tell your mate, but you know that it could change everything you've had till now. Would you tell em?"

Mei bit her lip, now completely taken aback by his suddenly serious change in tone. Just a moment ago, he was happy and giddy. Now? It was almost as if he were a different person.

"...I don't know. Both sides of the coin... they're both terrible. Not telling them means that you're hiding things but then telling them and if it hurts them? It can sometimes be worse... but in my opinion, I'd rather be told something than to find out some other time." she replied.

Junkrat nodded his head, his face softening a little until his looked back at her.

"When I come back... I've got somethin' to tell ya. So do me a favor and don't turn into an icicle. Got it?" he said.

She nodded and smiled at him.

"Alright. That's a promise?" she asked.

Junkrat nodded and smiled.

"Like I said before, I'm a man of me word. I'll tell you everythin' when I'm back."

Without a further word, Junkrat made his way out of the room.

 

 

 


End file.
